Systems and Methods For Customizing Hotel, Timeshare, and Rental Property Guest Experiences, and Conserving Resources and Utilities Using Internet Of Things Devices and Location Tracking Augmented With Contextual Awareness

ABSTRACT

A system for customizing a hotel, timeshare, or rental property guest experience includes a layered in-room PaaS System with an IOT network control module configured to control a plurality of IOT connected room devices including a remotely controlled electronic or mechanical devices; a Cloud platform to collect system, property and guest data that will then be processed through analytics and algorithms to improve the guest experience and deliver cost savings for the property, a mobile app running on a guest mobile device, the mobile app configured to remotely control the IOT network control module; an enterprise server configured to communicate with the IOT network control module; and a hotel, timeshare or rental property compute device, server or appliance configured to communicate with the enterprise server such that the enterprise server controls the transmission of data between the IOT network control module and the property. The enterprise server is configured to receive tracking data from the mobile app and to receive guest profile data from the property or 3 rd  party database, and to cause the IOT network control module to adjust at least one electrical or mechanical devices (e.g. thermostat HVAC, lighting or door locks) based on the location tracking data and the guest profile data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to: i) U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/622,850 filed Feb. 14, 2015, (Publication No. 2016/0242232); ii) U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/940,160 filed Feb. 14, 2014;and iii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/586,191 filed May 3, 2017,the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by thisreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates, generally, to a Platform as a Service(PaaS) solution that includes a modular electronics system forinterfacing with and controlling internet-of-things (IOT) devices in ahotel room, timeshare or rental property to improve guest experienceswhile reducing energy and resource consumption. More particularly, theinvention provides an associated mobile application (referred to hereinas an “app”) running on a mobile device to motivate guests to permit themobile app to track guest location both on and off the premises tothereby facilitate customizing the user experience and developingtargeted marketing programs with contextual awareness of the guest'sactivities. In this context, energy and resource consumption includesutilities such as water, electricity, natural gas, geothermal or otherenergy sources, labor, consumable products, reusable products such aslinens, towels, toiletries, and other amenities.

BACKGROUND

Most major hotel chains, property brokers, timeshare companies andaggregators offer a proprietary rewards mobile application (referred toherein as a mobile app) to their members, including loyalty programspromoted by Wyndham Rewards™, Marriott™, Choice™ Hotels, Hotels.com, theRitz-Carlton™, Hilton Honors™, Hotels.com™, InterContinental HotelsGroup (IHG™), Hyatt™, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG™). However,adoption has been sluggish because downloading and configuring the appis perceived to be cumbersome and time consuming. User engagement isfurther limited due to consumer resistance to location services arisingout of privacy concerns. Succinctly, current value propositions areinsufficient to persuade consumers to enable location services runningon loyalty program mobile apps.

GPS and other tracking/location services capable of being implemented onlaptop computers, tablets, smart phones, headsets, and wearable devicesand accessories have achieved wide acceptance, particularly when used toprovide driving directions and other travel related navigationassistance. However, the aggregate location data is difficult toeffectively harness for marketing purposes because it typically lackscontext; that is, simply knowing where a person is or has been is oflimited value unless the system also has a sense of why that person isthere.

Systems and methods are thus needed which overcome these limitations.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In particular, there is a need for a PaaS solution combined with (orincluding) an in-room IOT control system which may be controlled by aloyalty mobile app, and which tracks guest location to thereby enablecustomized guest experiences and targeted marketing programs informed bycontextual awareness, such as whether the guest is travelling forbusiness or pleasure.

To achieve the foregoing and other objectives in accordance with thepresent invention as broadly described herein, various embodimentscomprise: i) a hotel-wide or enterprise-wide PaaS system; ii) a roombased IOT network including a base module configured to control aplurality of peripheral network devices (e.g., lights, television,router, radio, telephone, shades, water, thermostat); iii) a mobile appwhich is separately downloadable or embedded within an existing hotelbrand app running on the guest's mobile device, the app configured tointerface with and control the IOT network and coordinate hotelservices; iv) a location tracking service managed by the app andconfigured to monitor the location of the guest on and/or off the hotelproperty; and v) an analytics and/or machine learning engine configuredto augment the location data with contextual awareness, to therebyfacilitate enhanced customization of the guest experience and transmittargeted marketing messages to the guest (e.g., in real time) togenerate additional revenue channels for the property; vii) configuringthe PaaS system to deliver an Application Program Interface (API)allowing the hotel property manager to monitor and control the IOTdevices to reduce power and water usage within each hotel roomindependently or within a select property space conveniently andeffectively to yield additional cost savings for utilities throughoutthe facility; and viii) configuring the API to offer hotel managers theability to set thresholds or limits to thereby track and manage utilityusage within each hotel room and other areas on the property.

In an embodiment, the IOT control system comprises a base unit adaptedfor electrical communication with a high voltage power source, and aplurality of stacked electronic modules adapted for wirelessly receivingcommunications from the base including high voltage power, low voltageDC power, data, and control signals.

Each stacked electronic module may be configured to communicate with,monitor, embody, interface with and/or control one or more of thefollowing IOT devices: computing and communication devices forfacilitating hotel services such as room service and concierge services,electronic card readers, hard drives, lamps, batteries, speakers,clocks, fans, pencil sharpeners, cup holders, staplers, mug warmers,stock tickers, displays, personal computers, electric staplers, tapedispensers, pencil holders, game controllers, wireless chargers, post-itnote dispensers, coffee makers, refrigerators, web cameras, wirelessreceivers, wireless transmitters, Blue ray/CVD/CD/disk drives, babymonitors, air fresheners, mobile device stands, air ionizers, motionsensors, power interfaces, laptop and smart phone docking and chargingstations, home controls, game controllers, thermostats, firealarm/smoke/CO detectors, gestural interfaces, numeric/calculator pads,scanners, eye tracking devices, flash drives, wireless pads/styluseswireless mouses, wireless keyboards, wireless charging stations, webcameras, wireless receivers, wireless transmitters, battery powersources, IO panel/instrument jack, spare plug outlets (similar to apower strip), wireless headphone transmitters, auxiliary interfaced orwireless screens/displays, credit/debit card chip and magnetic stripereaders, HVAC systems, displays, personal computers, shade, blind, andother window covering controllers, door and window locks, faucets,showers, toilets, sinks, water leak detectors, and combinations thereof.

In various embodiments the hotel guest may be incented to enablelocation services in exchange for a downloadable mobile app for remotelycontrolling the in-room IOT control module, as well as discounts,enhanced services, gaming points, and other perks and rewards which maybe derived from the location data alone or augmented with contextualawareness.

In the context of this disclosure, the terms hotel and property may alsocontemplate motels, timeshares, or any other type of residence.

By way of non-limiting example, contextual awareness may include“knowing” that the guest is primarily or currently attending to businessor pleasure, the guest's short term and/or long term itinerary, theguest's previous locations (conference room, restaurant, officebuilding, movie theater), and unique user preferences relating tocuisine, entertainment, lifestyle, music, and environmental comfortmetrics such as lighting, room temperature, mattress firmness, and thelike. Additional contextual awareness metrics may include monitoringwhen location data goes dark, and thereafter re-emerges in another city,suggesting that the guest has flown from one city to another.

Additionally the PaaS system may be configured to learn guest habits,routines and preferences to intelligently (e.g., algorithmically)prepare the hotel room to accommodate desired environmental factorsincluding temperature, lighting, window shade position, entertainment,and consumable items such as beverages and food that would deliver aninviting and welcoming room presence to drive loyalty for the propertyand brand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an enterprise level system forproviding enhanced customization to a guest experience using a PaaSSystem with an in-room IOT module and an associated mobile app and APIboth configured to augment tracking data with contextual awareness inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hotel property illustrating trackingdata for a hotel guest within the boundary of the hotel property inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating tracking data for a hotelguest within and outside the boundary of the hotel property withcellular or area Wi-Fi in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of beacons inaddition to and/or in lieu of traditional GPS based location services inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary in room IOT network thatis part of a unified PaaS system including a base module and a pluralityof edge devices in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mobile app operating on amobile device and controlling a plurality of IOT devices in accordancewith various embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a more detailed view of the base module in accordance withvarious embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the stackable electronic hub modules shownin FIG. 7 in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a base module disposed between two beds ina typical hotel, resort, or time share environment in accordance withvarious embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a base module disposed bedside,illustrating a smart phone charging station in accordance with variousembodiments;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of a basemodule, illustrating a hotel employee addressing a guest by name basedon real time location tracking in accordance with various embodimentsdelivering a more welcoming and personalized experience;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of a basemodule illustrating a self check-in and check-out system in accordancewith various embodiments; and

FIG. 13 is a screen display of a mobile app operating on a smart phoneillustrating targeted marketing vectors in accordance with variousembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Presently known mobile apps for controlling IOT devices offer a limitedvalue proposition to the user, and are typically limited toconsolidating multiple end point assets (e.g., lighting, door locks,HVAC) into a central hub. In contrast, the present system offers a morerobust value proposition to the guest user in the form of enhancedcontrol of the user experience, amenity upgrades, rewards,personalization preferences and targeted/push marketing messages, offersand notices as well as enabling features (both on and off property) thatwould otherwise be unavailable without location services enabled.

Various embodiments contemplate monitoring the guest's location usingthe guest's mobile phone, wearable accessory, laptop, or any other GPSor location-enabled device. In this way, location aware (and hencecontext aware) features and services may be pushed to the guest in newand imaginative ways heretofore not contemplated by existing systems.Moreover, by incenting the guest to keep location services enabled evenwhen the guest is off the hotel property, valuable tracking informationmay be collected, mined, and harvested to design precisely designedmarketing messages delivered with pinpoint accuracy. An additionalbenefit of collecting aggregate location data surrounds the ability toconduct advanced analytics, and to offer customized guest benefits withguest room and property wide preferences based on these analytics.

From an enterprise standpoint, the system contemplates at least threelevels of value proposition: i) allowing the property to offer gueststhe ability to control and manage a plurality of IOT devices in the roomusing a mobile app, with fairly low installation costs; ii) providingthe guest with perks and other features which leverage location services(tracking); iii) mining the resulting aggregate location datafacilitates the development of enhanced targeted marketing programs; andiv) allowing the hotel property the ability to substantially reducepower and water usage within each room.

The value proposition to the guest includes providing enhancedinformation to the mobile device thru the mobile app regarding theenvironment within and outside the room. In various embodiments, thisinvolves a cloud based system server (sometimes referred to herein asthe CIRQ server) operating within the broader internet environment tothereby integrate the immediate environment (guest room) with theextended environment (the resort property, nearby attractions, andremote attractions).

In various embodiments, the in-room IOT control module us used to driveinitial user engagement including downloading the mobile app andenabling location services, whereupon the resulting location awareness(tracking) may be used to drive further user engagement (e.g., on andoff property perks, targeted and push marketing). Aggregate trackingdata from multiple users may then be mined and harnessed to drivefurther targeted marketing notices, offers, messages, schemes, energysavings, and to analyze travel and spending trends. Indeed, theintersection among the PaaS System with in-room IOT control and locationawareness alone has significant value in terms of energy savings for theproperty owner, as described below.

In addition, the system may be configured to gather performance data forthe IOT devices and appliances, failure modes and trends, lifetimeusage, servicing cycles/predictions and duty cycles in multiplegeographic locations to thereby reduce long term total cost of use,increasing revenue/profit for the PaaS System and driving capitalequipment replacement and upgrade timetables for property owners.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a system 100 for providing enhanced customizationto a guest experience includes an in-room IOT module 102 for controllinga local IOT network 103, an associated mobile app running on a guestmobile device 104, an enterprise server 106 including a PaaS platform,and a property owner server 108 configured to communicate with afacilities controller 110.

More particularly, the IOT module 102 is configured to communicate withthe guest device 104 using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, wired or wireless Ethernet,VPN, USB, Zippy, Z-Wave, cellular (3G, 4G), or any other suitable wiredor wireless protocol. The IOT module 102 is configured to communicatewith the devices which comprise the IOT network 103 using ZWave,Bluetooth, or any suitable wired or wireless protocol. The IOT module102 is configured to communicate with the enterprise server 106 througha gateway 121 (such as the internet) using Wi-Fi, LoRa, 3G, 4G, LTE,Ethernet, or any suitable wired or wireless protocol. Similarly, theenterprise server 106 is configured to communicate with the propertyowner server 108 using Wi-Fi, LoRa, 3G, 4G, LTE, Ethernet, or anysuitable wired or wireless protocol.

In a typical use case, the guest device 104 communicates directly withthe IOT module 102 when the guest device 104 is inside or otherwiseclosely proximate the hotel room. When the guest is outside the hotelroom, off the hotel premises, or otherwise out of range of the IOTmodule 102, the guest device 104 communicates directly with theenterprise server 106 using a cellular network (e.g., 3G, 4G, LTE) orthrough a suitable wired or wireless internet connection.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hotel property 200 illustratingtracking data for a hotel guest within the boundary of the hotelproperty. In the illustrated example, the mobile app tracks the guest'smovement from a guest room 202 (point 251), to golf course (point 252),to a restaurant 206 (point 253), to a particular one of a plurality ofcabanas 211 adjacent a pool 210 (point 254), and back to the room (point251). A geo-fence 260 defines the boundary of the hotel, resort, or timeshare property.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating tracking data 306 for a hotelguest within and outside the boundary 302 of a hotel property as theguest visits an off premises location 304 (tourist attraction,restaurant, office, theater, or the like).

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of beacons inaddition to and/or in lieu of traditional GPS based location services.More particularly, FIG. 4 depicts a hallway 402 including wall mountedbeacons. Each beacon 404 is configured to send static locationinformation to the mobile app using Bluetooth or similar protocols 406.In this way, even without enabling location services, the mobile app candisplay the locations of various hotel amenities on the mobile devicescreen 408.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5, an exemplary PaaS system with an in-roomIOT network system controller 500 includes a control module 502 and aplurality of IOT devices (referred to herein as Edge devices) 508. Inparticular, the control module 502 includes a base 504 and a pluralityof stacked electronic modules 506, each of which is configured tocommunicate with, monitor, and/or control one or more of the edgedevices.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mobile device 602 operatinga mobile app 604 for controlling an IOT module 601 which, in turn,coordinates a plurality of IOT devices such as, for example, anentertainment system (e.g., television) 606, a thermostat or other HVACcontroller 608, lighting 610, motorized window coverings 612, and aservices module 614 for coordinating resort amenities (e.g., roomservice, reservations for local restaurants and tourist attractions).

FIG. 7 is a more detailed view of an exemplary IOT control module 702including a base 704 having one or more female AC adapters 705, and aCPU module 706 including a Wi-Fi component, a ZigBee Multi-Band IoT MeshNetwork Technology component, and/or a hard drive component. The controlmodule 702 further includes an audio module 708 including a speakerand/or microphone component, a sensor module 710 including a remotethermostat module with thermo-sensors and ultrasonic sensors and amotion and/or infrared sensor module, a smart LED module 712, and autility module 714 including a digital alarm clock, a radio, and anoptional mobile docking/charging station. An alternative embodiment of amobile docking/charging station 716 is shown charging a smart phone 718.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the stackable electronic hub modules shownin FIG. 7, including a base module 804, a CPU module 806, an audiomodule 808, a remote thermostat and occupancy/thermosensor module 810, alighting module 812, and a utility module 814.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an IOT controller 902 disposed between afirst bed 904 and a second bed 906 in a typical hotel, resort, or timeshare room environment. In the illustrated embodiment, the modular stackthat includes a remote thermostat with the motion and/or infraredsensors (not shown) may be positioned so that full room coverage may beobtained using a minimum number of sensors (e.g., 2). Additionally byhaving the remote thermostat bedside the guest will be able to adjustthe temperature controls on the remote thermostat or mobile app withoutleaving the bed.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of an IOTcontrol module disposed on a bedside table, illustrating a smart phonecharging station on a top surface of the IOT control module.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a front desk 1101 equipped with a basemodule 1102 configured to communicate with or embody a display 1104. Inthe illustrated embodiment, as a guest 1106 approaches a hotel employee1108, the guest's location is tracked by the system, and the guest'sname may displayed on the screen 1104, or spoken to the employee throughan ear piece 1110. In this way, the employee may address the guest byname using on real time location tracking data.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of a basemodule illustrating a self check-in and check-out module system allowingguests to perform self-registration and check-in into the propertywithout having to directly interact with a property owner staff oremployee, expediting their access to the purchased room. The illustratedembodiment includes a user interface, a display 1202, and a key cardmaker and credit card reader 1204.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary guest smart phone 1301 running a mobile appconfigured to display a property specific search feature 1302 forservices, searching promotions, upgrades, and incentives, a proprietary(on property) messaging portal 1304 for receiving notices, offers,promotions and messages, an integrated social media portal 1306, and ananalytics portal 1308.

In an embodiment, cellular data to and from the guest mobile device maybe routed thru the CIRQ cloud 106 back to the hotel chain server 108(See FIG. 1). Various use cases enabled by the system share thefollowing features: i) a PaaS System; ii) an in-room IOT control hubmodule which communicates with the mobile app and various edge devicesand hotel services (food, drinks); and iii) tracking of guest locationin the CIRQ cloud. The integration of the in-room IOT network with guesttracking data gives rise to a vast array of novel features, use cases,and anecdotal attributes, including the following non-limiting examples.

In a typical swimming pool, beach, golf course, concert venue, or otherresort environment having multiple potential guest locations (e.g., barstools, tables, cabanas, chaise lounges, stadium seats), locationawareness allows the server to walk a straight line to bring the correctdrink or food order directly to the right guest.

Predictive analytics may be used in conjunction with tracking data. Forexample, if a guest returns to the guest room at the same time (e.g.,6:00 p.m.) several days in a row, the system may begin pre-cooling theroom in anticipation of the guest returning, for example at 5:45 p.m.The system may be configured to fully cool the room when the guestactually enters the geo-fence surrounding the hotel property.

When a guest returns to a particular city, the system can recommend thesame or similar restaurants based on previous visits to that city, oreven monitor the guest's restaurant reviews (e.g., Yelp) to see how wellthe guest liked the food and/or venue, and make recommendationsaccordingly.

Targeted marketing can be in the form of a wrapper around newspaper leftin the room or outside the room door. Alternatively, targeted marketingmay take the form of text messages (e.g., SMS), notices and offers, or ashort video displayed on the in-room television when turned on by theguest.

When incenting a guest to enable location services, for example in thecontext of a rewards program or an enhanced gamification opportunity,the system may be configured to offer enhanced (e.g. double) points orother incentives for qualified purchases if the location service isenabled, and further enhanced (e.g., tripled) points or other incentivesif the guest allows ads to be pushed to their smart phone. Additionallythe gamification feature may allow guests to receive additionalincentives for limiting their power usage in the room (e.g., turning offlights, adjusting the temperature higher while away from the room, usingtowels/linens for more than one day, limiting water usage in the shower,faucet, and other water interfaces.

As an additional revenue source, the restaurants or other venues, forexample through partnerships or by sponsoring targeted ads, may berequired to pay the property owner (e.g., resort operator, hotel chain,time share aggregator) a percentage of payments for the privilege ofpushing targeted ads to captive and presumably high income consumers(e.g., the members of a particular loyalty or rewards program) or gueststhat are using the mobile app for the first time which would make theguest feel more comfortable in the hotel and building loyalty for thehotel. Additionally, in return for presenting and redirecting the guestto off-property locations, restaurants and services, the hotel ownercould receive a percentage of the transaction.

When location services detects that a guest is leaving the hotelproperty around dinner time, the system may be configured to push acontextually aware message to the guest's phone, such as a happy hourdrink special at the hotel bar in an attempt to keep the guest on theproperty. If the guest accepts, the system can subsequently push an adfor a dinner special (e.g., a reduced price) at the hotel restaurant,for example if the guest remains in the bar more than 15 minutes.

Location awareness may be used to identify the name of guests as theyapproach the front desk, the bar, concierge, or any other venue, therebyallowing resort employees to address guests by name.

Location awareness may also be used to display guest names on a digitalsign or other display (e.g., a welcome sign) as each guest approachesthe sign. Moreover, location awareness may be used to determine whichfloor an elevator need to go to transport a guest to the correct room,effectively eliminating the need to press elevator buttons on premiumfloors.

Contextual awareness may involve the use of previous data to determine aparticular guest's food allergies, liquor preferences (e.g., Bombaygin), and/or food preferences (e.g., gluten free options).

When incenting a guest to enable location services, for example in thecontext of a loyalty program, the system may be configured to awarddouble points (or a 15% discount privilege) if the guest uses the appwhile on the property, and to award triple points (or a 30% discountprivilege) for so long as the guest continues to enable the locationservice after leaving the property.

In an embodiment the guest can use the in-room module to control thelocal IOT devices even without downloading the app, but the guest cancontrol the module with the mobile device if the guest downloads the appto the mobile device.

The system may be configured to link with Air B&B, Travelocity, or othertravel related sites to gather a list of people going to a particulardestination (e.g., San Diego) for a particular purpose (e.g., to stay ata timeshare) during a particular time period (e.g., next week), and sendcontextually aware targeted ads to the entire group; that is, since theyare staying at a timeshare, the system presumes they are leisuretravelers (as opposed to business) and can send targeted ads promoting aleisure attraction, such as SeaWorld.

Although preferred embodiments are described in the context of hotelroom, those skilled in the art will appreciate that IOT control modulesmay be installed in any number of environments such as Air B&B rentals,condominium communities, and the like.

In an embodiment, the in-room IOT module may be configured to remotelycontrol an access feature such as a door lock, where the guest can usethe mobile app to configure access preferences, such as sending a uniquecode in an SMS message, or using tracking to unlock the door when theguest is within a predetermined distance (e.g., ten feet) from the door.After check out, the system can send a different code to the next guest,and yet another code to housekeeping personnel. The system can alsoprovide security alerts advising the guest that someone entered the roomsuch as room housekeeping, maintenance or property management.

In another embodiment, the hotel facilities manager can remotely lock,unlock, check the locked status, or change the access code for IOTconnected room door locks.

When incenting a guest to enable location services, the system may beconfigured to offer premium movie channels, Hulu-type streaming or musicservices, or complimentary nightclub passes (based on guestdemographics).

In other embodiments the guest can select a desired perk (incentive) inexchange for enabling location services, where the perks are harvestedfrom aggregate data (e.g., where do people in this age bracket or otherdemographic metric tend to dine, are they motivated by discounts, drinkspecials, enhanced reward points, iTunes credits).

The system may also use aggregate location data to dynamically allocatepersonnel and resources in real time. For example, as more guest go tothe bar, pool, restaurant, or conference center, hotel management canallocate and dispatch service additional personnel as needed.

In another embodiment, the system can be configured to use tracking datato identify approaching guests, and to discretely speak the guest namesinto a hotel employee's ear piece to thereby allow the employee toaddress the guest by name.

In various embodiments, the mobile device communicates with the in-roomIOT controller via Bluetooth or other protocol while the guest is in theroom, but when the guest leaves the room the app can transition so thatthe mobile app send location data directly with the CIRQ cloud.

In various embodiments, the system may be configured to monitor the roomwith a motion sensor in addition to or in lieu of location tracking todetermine when the room is vacant and the temperature can be adjusted,fans and television turned off, and lights dimmed. In addition, roomoccupancy detection and analysis allows the system to ignore incidentalor transient occupancy (e.g., by housekeeping or administrativepersonnel) and to forego turning on the air conditioning when hotelstaff are in the room but the guest is absent from the room.

In an embodiment, the in-room IOT control system includes a thermostatcontrol module which may be disposed bedside or on a table inside theroom. In this way, the guest may adjust the room temperature from theirbed without having getting up. In addition, the thermostat controlmodule may be configured to transmit a wireless control signal to a wallmounted relay receiver which, in turn, communicates the control signalto an IOT relay which interfaces with the building HVAC system.Alternatively, the guest can adjust the room temperature using themobile app to control the remote thermostat.

In an embodiment, as the guest is returning to the room but stilloutside the property geo-fence, the mobile app sends location data tothe CIRQ cloud over cellular or Wi-Fi, whereupon the CIRQ cloud sendsthe data to the hotel property's server, which tells the in room deviceto anticipatorily adjust environmental controls; when the guest entersthe room, the phone switches to Bluetooth communication with the in-roomIOT control module.

In various embodiments, the motion sensor and tracking feature cancoordinate to record a log of how much time the guest spends sleeping,at on property venues (e.g., business center, hotel bar), and at offproperty venues, and infer leisure and spending trends from aggregatelocation and occupancy data.

A system is thus provided for customizing a hotel, timeshare or rentalproperty (collectively referred to as “hotel room”) experience. Thesystem includes: a PaaS system with an in-room IOT network controlmodule configured to control a plurality of IOT connected mechanicaland/or electrical devices such as, for example, a thermostat, a doorlock, lighting, electrical switches, HVAC systems, audio components, andsensors; a mobile app running on a guest mobile device, the mobile appconfigured to remotely control the IOT network control module; anenterprise server configured to communicate with the IOT network controlmodule; and a hotel server configured to communicate with the API andenterprise server such that the enterprise server controls thetransmission of data between the IOT network control module and thehotel server; wherein the enterprise server is configured to receivetracking data from the mobile app and to receive guest profile data fromthe API associated with the hotel server, and to cause the IOT networkcontrol module to adjust at least one of the IOT devices (e.g.,thermostat and door lock) based on the tracking data and the guestprofile data.

In an embodiment, the mobile app is configured to prompt the guest toselect at least one of: a first incentive conditioned upon the guestentering a user profile in the mobile app; and a second incentiveconditioned upon the guest enabling location services for a first timeperiod corresponding to the anticipated duration of the hotel stay.

In an embodiment, the mobile app is further configured to prompt theguest to select at least one of: a third incentive conditioned upon theguest consenting to receive targeted ads; and a fourth incentiveconditioned upon the guest enabling location services for a second timeperiod exceeding the anticipated duration of the hotel stay.

In an embodiment, at least one of the first, second, third, and fourthincentives comprise one of: enhanced loyalty points for authorizedpurchases; discounted prices for purchases of authorized products;discounted prices for purchases of authorized services; audio streamingservice credits; and video streaming service credits.

In an embodiment, the guest profile data comprises a desired temperaturevalue; the tracking data comprises a determination that the guest isapproaching the hotel room; and the enterprise server is configured tocause the IOT network control module to adjust the thermostat to thedesired temperature value in response to determining that the guest isapproaching the hotel room.

In an embodiment, determining that the guest is approaching the hotelroom comprises detecting when the guest breaches a first predeterminedgeo-fence boundary.

In an embodiment, the guest profile data further comprises a desiredaccess protocol; and the enterprise server is configured to cause theIOT network control module to implement the desired access protocol inresponse to the guest breaching a second predetermined geo-fenceboundary.

In an embodiment, the desired access protocol comprises automaticallyunlocking the door lock; and the second predetermined geo-fence boundaryis in the range of about two to twenty feet.

In an embodiment, the guest profile data comprises an indication thatthe guest is on vacation; the tracking data indicates that the guest ofoutside the hotel property; and the enterprise server is configured totransmit a targeted ad to the guest mobile phone via the mobile app, thetargeted ad corresponding to a tourist attraction.

In an embodiment, the guest profile data further comprises demographicinformation including indicia of the guest's age range; and the touristattraction is age appropriate for the guest's age range.

In an embodiment, the guest profile data comprises the guest's surname;the tracking data comprises a determination that the guest isapproaching a hotel employee; and the enterprise server is configured tocause the hotel server to provide the guest surname to the employee inresponse to the guest approaching the employee.

In an embodiment, providing the guest surname to the employee comprisesat least one of: i) speaking the guest surname into an earpiececonfigured to be worn by the employee; and ii) displaying the guestsurname on a screen visible to the employee.

In an embodiment, the mobile app is configured to communicate with theIOT network control module when the guest mobile device is proximate theguest hotel room; and the mobile app is configured to communicate withthe enterprise server when the guest mobile device is remote from theguest hotel room.

In an embodiment, when the guest mobile device is in the guest room andthe mobile app sends a food service request, the system is configured totransmit the food service request to the IOT network control module, andthe enterprise server is configured to receive the food service requestfrom the IOT network control module and cause the hotel server totransmit the food service request to a hotel employee to be fulfilled;and

when the guest mobile device is remote from the guest room but within afirst geo-fence bordering the hotel property and the mobile app sends afood service request, the system is configured to transmit the foodservice request to the to the enterprise server, whereupon theenterprise server is configured to cause the hotel server to transmitthe food service request to a hotel employee to be fulfilled.

A method is also provided for reducing energy consumption in a hotelroom. The method includes the steps of: configuring a control moduledisposed within the hotel room to wirelessly communicate with: i) aremote thermostat located on a table next to a bed or in a locationcentral to the room (e.g., other than a wall mounted device), athermostat relay located within the hotel room having a wirelesscontroller that communicates with an HVAC system; and ii) a mobile appoperating on a mobile device carried by the guest; using the mobile app,obtaining consent from the guest to track the guest's location; usingthe mobile app, setting the thermostat to a first temperature value inresponse to determining that the guest has left the hotel room; usingthe mobile app, maintaining the thermostat at the first temperaturevalue for so long as the guest is at least a predetermined distance awayfrom the hotel room; and using the mobile app, setting the thermostat toa second temperature value in response to determining that the guest istraveling back to the hotel room.

In an embodiment, determining that the guest has left the hotel roomcomprises at least one of location tracking and motion sensing.

In an embodiment, the mobile device comprises one of a phone, a watch,and a wearable device.

In an embodiment, the mobile device includes a native GPS module, andthe mobile app is configured to access the GPS module to retrievelocation data.

In an embodiment, the method further includes: configuring the controlmodule to wirelessly communicate with a motorized window covering; andusing the mobile app, instructing the control module to close the windowcovering for so long as the guest is at least said predetermineddistance away from the hotel room.

In an embodiment, the method further includes: using the mobile app,instructing the control module to open the window covering in responseto determining that the guest is traveling back to the hotel room.

In an embodiment the modular IOT devices may be configured toincorporate artificial intelligence such as through voice activationallowing the guest to order services or communicate with the hotel staffdirectly.

In an embodiment the IOT control system may be of modular constructionallowing for rapid servicing if a module needs replacement or upgrade,minimizing the down time during repair/upgrade. Additionally the systemmay be configured to deliver an environmentally friendly solution thatwill not become obsolete due to its modular construction and flexibilityfor replacement and upgrades.

In the context of this disclosure, the terms hotel server and hotelenterprise server may contemplate on-premises or off-premises servers orother computing devices that monitor and/or controls that property. Inthis regard, many AirBnB type customers and smaller hotels may not havea server on the premises, yet the present disclosure contemplates theselocations inasmuch as they may nonetheless communicate with anoff-premises server. Such configurations may benefit from an appropriateAPI for communicating information and analytics between the off premisesserver and the in room IOT controller.

In the context of this disclosure, the term guest profile data mayinclude, in addition to or in lieu of tourism, information pertaining tobusiness travel, conferences, governmental and educational activities,and the like.

The present disclosure further contemplates providing cross-domaincontext awareness for data and events that occur on the property whichcan be used for optimizing the guest or property owner experience.

The foregoing description is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and processshown and described above. Accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be considered as falling within the scope of theinvention.

We claim:
 1. A system for customizing a hotel, timeshare, or rentalproperty guest experience, comprising: an in-room PaaS-based IOT networkcontrol module configured to control a plurality of IOT connectedelectrical and/or mechanical devices including at least one of athermostat, HVAC system, light, door lock, blinds/shades, and plumbingfixture; a mobile app running on a guest mobile device, the mobile appconfigured to remotely control the IOT network control module; anenterprise server including an API configured to communicate with theIOT network control module; and a local computing module disposedproximate the hotel premises, timeshare or rental property andconfigured to communicate with the enterprise server such that theenterprise server controls the transmission of data between the IOTnetwork control module and the compute module; wherein the enterpriseserver is configured to receive tracking data from the mobile app and toreceive guest profile data from the hotel, timeshare or rental propertydatabases, and to cause the IOT network control module to adjust atleast one of the IOT devices based on the location tracking data and theguest profile data.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile app isconfigured to prompt the guest to select at least one of: a firstincentive conditioned upon the guest entering a user profile in themobile app; and a second incentive conditioned upon the guest enablinglocation services for a first time period corresponding to theanticipated duration of the hotel stay.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the mobile app is further configured to prompt the guest toselect at least one of: a third incentive conditioned upon the guestconsenting to receive targeted ads, notifications, messages; and afourth incentive conditioned upon the guest enabling location servicesfor a second time period exceeding the anticipated duration of the hotelstay.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first,second, third, and fourth incentives comprise one of: enhanced loyaltypoints for authorized purchases; enhanced gamification privileges;discounted prices for purchases of authorized products; discountedprices for purchases of authorized services; incentives or points, audiostreaming service credits; and video streaming service credits.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein: the guest profile data comprises a desiredtemperature value; the tracking data comprises a determination that theguest is approaching the hotel room; and the enterprise server isconfigured to cause the IOT network control module to adjust thethermostat to the desired temperature value in response to determiningthat the guest is approaching the hotel room.
 6. The system of claim 5,wherein determining that the guest is approaching the hotel roomcomprises detecting when the guest breaches a first predeterminedgeo-fence boundary.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein: the guest profiledata further comprises a desired access protocol; and the enterpriseserver is configured to cause the IOT network control module toimplement the desired access protocol in response to the guest breachinga second predetermined geo-fence boundary.
 8. The system of claim 7,wherein: the desired access protocol comprises automatically unlockingthe door lock; and the second predetermined geo-fence boundary is in therange of about two to twenty feet.
 9. The system of claim 3, wherein:the guest profile data comprises an indication that the guest is onvacation; the tracking data indicates that the guest of outside thehotel property; and the enterprise server is configured to transmit atargeted ad or promotion to the guest mobile phone via the mobile app,the targeted ad or promotion corresponding to a guest activities,interests and tourist attraction.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein:the guest profile data further comprises demographic informationincluding indicia of the guest's age range, interests, desiredactivities past and future goals, point of interests, lifestylepreferences, culinary interests and food allergies; and the touristattraction is age appropriate for the guest's age range.
 11. The systemof claim 1, wherein: the guest profile data comprises the guest'ssurname; the tracking data comprises a determination that the guest isapproaching a hotel employee; and the enterprise server is configured tocause the hotel server to provide the guest surname to the employee inresponse to the guest approaching the employee.
 12. The system of claim11, wherein providing the guest surname to the employee comprises atleast one of: i) speaking the guest surname into an earpiece configuredto be worn by the employee; ii) displaying the guest surname on a screenvisible to the employee; iii) displaying the guest surname usingwearable electronic eyewear having an integrated display; iv) displayingthe guest surname on a display associated with a wearable mobile device;and v) displaying the guest surname on a display associated with a handheld mobile device.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein: the mobile appis configured to communicate with the IOT network control module whenthe guest mobile device is proximate the guest hotel room; and themobile app is configured to communicate with the enterprise server withAPI when the guest mobile device is remote from the guest hotel room.14. The system of claim 13, wherein: when the guest mobile device is inthe guest room and the mobile app sends a food service request, thesystem is configured to transmit the food service request to the IOTnetwork control module, and the enterprise server is configured toreceive the food service request from the IOT network control module andcause the hotel compute resources to transmit the food service requestto a hotel employee to be fulfilled; and when the guest mobile device isremote from the guest room but within a first geo-fence bordering thehotel property and the mobile app sends a food service request, thesystem is configured to transmit the food service request to the to theenterprise server, whereupon the enterprise server is configured tocause the hotel compute resources to transmit the food service requestto a hotel employee to be fulfilled.
 15. A method of reducing energyconsumption in a hotel room, comprising the steps of: configuring acontrol module disposed within the hotel room to wirelessly communicatewith: i) one of a remote thermostat module disposed within the room andconfigured to communicate wirelessly to an HVAC relay, and a thermostatlocated within the hotel room; and ii) a mobile app operating on amobile device carried by the guest; using the mobile app, obtainingconsent from the guest to track the guest's location; using the mobileapp, setting the thermostat to a first temperature value in response todetermining that the guest has left the hotel room; using the mobileapp, maintaining the thermostat at the first temperature value for solong as the guest is at least a predetermined distance away from thehotel room; and using the mobile app, setting the thermostat to a secondtemperature value in response to determining that the guest is travelingback to the hotel room.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein determiningthat the guest has left the hotel room comprises at least one oflocation tracking and motion sensing.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the mobile device comprises one of a phone, a watch, and awearable device.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the mobile deviceincludes a native GPS module, and the mobile app is configured to accessthe GPS module to retrieve location data.
 19. The method of claim 18,further comprising: configuring the control module to wirelesslycommunicate with a motorized window covering; and using the mobile app,instructing the control module to close the window covering for so longas the guest is at least said predetermined distance away from the hotelroom.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: using the mobileapp, instructing the control module to open the window covering inresponse to determining that the guest is traveling back to the hotelroom.
 21. The method of claim 15, further comprising: using machinelearning to learn guest habits, routines and preferences; andalgorithmically preparing the room to a predetermined temperature andentertainment configuration, and prestocking the room with predeterminedfood and beverages based on the machine learning.
 22. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising: disposing a remote thermostat proximatethe guest bed or central location; and prompting the guest to adjust theroom temperature using the remote thermostat.
 23. The system of claim 1,wherein the in-room PaaS IOT network control module further comprises aself check-in and check-out module configured to allow the guest toperform self-registration.
 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the selfcheck-in and check-out module comprises: a graphical user interfaceconfigured to process guest check-in; and a key card maker configured toconfigure a room key.
 25. A system for customizing a hotel room guestexperience, comprising: an in-room PaaS IOT network control moduleconfigured to control a plurality of IOT connected room devicesincluding at least one of a thermostat, a light, and a door lock; anenterprise server with API configured to communicate with the IOTnetwork control module; and a hotel server configured to communicatewith the enterprise server such that the enterprise server controls thetransmission of data between the IOT network control module and thehotel server; wherein the enterprise server is configured to receiveguest profile data from the hotel server, and to cause the IOT networkcontrol module to adjust at least one of the thermostat and door lockbased on the tracking data and the guest profile data.